


Part of Your World

by SParkie96



Series: Chreon/Kennfield Collection [11]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, F/M, M/M, Mating Bond, Mythical Beings & Creatures, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-07-03 15:49:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15822051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SParkie96/pseuds/SParkie96
Summary: A mermaid, well, Merman AU. Chris is a single father who works as  a fisherman to provide for his six year-old son. Never would he have thought he would catch a mermaid.Leon was a mermaid who swam just a little too close to the shore and became the catch of the day.





	1. Catch of the Day

**Author's Note:**

> In this, mermaids can change from mermaid to human, well, fin to legs if they dry off. 
> 
> Leon only knows a bit of English and only certain phrases. Mermaids have their own language.

The sound of his alarm clock going off was enough to stir one Chris Redfield out of bed, reaching over to shut the noisy device off as it buzzed. Five in the morning came way too soon and it never felt like Chris got enough sleep, no matter how early he went to bed. He glanced at the space that had been vacant for the last three years. He missed his wife, Jill, but sadly, he lost her to an illness there was no coming back from.

The sound of pitter-patter of little feet across wood flooring could be heard in the hall, as well as claws tapping close behind the owner of said feet. Chris heard an excited “Daddy!” before practically being tackled by a little red-haired boy. The raven-haired male tightly embraced the little boy, holding on and not letting go. His little boy, a six year-old named Oliver Redfield, or “Ollie” for short, giggled loudly as Chris tickled him. The puppy Ollie had gotten as a birthday present, an English Bulldog named Flash, stood against the bed, barking up at the two. He jumped but only succeeded in falling over.

“Silly, puppy!” Ollie laughed, before turning to Chris, “Daddy, can I go with you today? I don’t want to go to school.” He said.

Chris sighed, ruffling the red-brown locks, “Sorry bud. But working the ship and fishing is too dangerous for little boys. Besides, I thought you liked school? Don’t you have Show & Tell coming up?” he asked, getting out of bed, but holding the little boy in his arms.

Ollie shook his head with a pout, “Show & Tell isn’t until tomorrow and I don’t want to go to school cause Jake and Max are there. They make fun of me cause I read fairy tale books and tell me those books are for girls.” He protested.

Chris frowned at that. Those little boys were still picking on his son? He would have to have another talk with Ms. Hunnigan. And now he felt upset for the little boy. The books Ollie read were the ones he used to read with Jill. She used to read to him all the time and he thoroughly enjoyed them. The one about the merpeople were Ollie’s favorite. Chris often found him reading them during dinner, and then again when he sat on the beach right outside.

“They’re wrong. Those books are for everyone. I’ll talk to Ms. Hunnigan after I get done work, okay?” he asked gently, earning a nod from the little boy, “So, what are you going to bring in for Show & Tell?” Chris asked with a smile.

He gave the little boy a kiss on the forehead before putting him down, listening as Ollie went over his options aloud. The elder changed into his uniform for the day; a pair of jeans, a green plaid shirt his socks and boots. He threw his wader boots and overalls in the duffle bag and zipped it up, grabbing his jacket and leaving them in the hallway. He scooped Ollie up and helped him get changed for school.

* * *

If anyone in Terragrigia found out he swam out this close to land, King Adam would surely kill him. Leon swam along the shore of this quaint little island town, observing the children playing by the ocean as they awaited for school to start. The merman tilted his head in curiosity at the funny little humans, watching as they splashed at each other, parents scolding them for getting their clothes wet. They were such funny creatures, and were odd to say the least.

One would think at the age of thirty-two, nothing would pique his interest anymore, but the humans were something else entirely. He had lived a sheltered life, King Adam, a man who had taken Leon in at a very young age after his parents were killed, forbid their people from ever approaching the “Human World”. The old merman had preached that the humans had killed off many of their kind, that they were dangerous and the merpeople were to stay as far away from the humans as possible.

Yet, here Leon was, a mile or two off-shore, watching in curiosity. He couldn’t help it, they were so different, yet almost similar. And surely, they were not all bad, right? If he really wanted to, he could just live among them, given his people’s ability to transform their tails to legs if they dried off enough. Though, he would never be able to walk in the rain or swim with them, he would be exposed the second he did. Probably carted off to some dark place to be poked and prodded at.

He would just have to settle for watching from afar, wondering in his imagination about life with the humans.

* * *

Ollie sat outside at recess alone, reading his book by the fence. He would occasionally look out at the sea, watching the waves. If his teacher, or Daddy, found out he snuck in between the wooden fence and hid here, near the beach, he would be in trouble. But it was the only place he felt like he was safe and could have peace from his bullies. Jake and Max were making fun of him when he told a classmate about an idea for Show & Tell. They told him that Flash wasn’t special or interesting, so he should pick something else.

The red-head couldn’t wait until it was time to go home. He didn’t have many friends at school, so he constantly read his books that his Mommy had gotten him over the years. He missed her. Daddy was always busy at work, but he always tried his best to make Ollie feel better and spend as much time with him as possible. He also had cousin Moira, Polly and Natalia and Uncle Barry. And then there was Aunt Claire who worked at a Marine Life Sanctuary, he liked visiting her.

Another yawn left the little boy as he glanced up at the ocean, eyes widened at the sight. A couple miles off the coast, he saw something strange. At a glance, it looked like a dolphin, breaching the waves and swimming, but Ollie had seen a dozen or so dolphins over the years, and the tale was too long to be a dolphin. And he couldn’t remember dolphins looking like humans. Before he really had a chance to see, the bell rang, indicating that recess was over. The red-head picked up his things and quietly snuck through the fence, glancing back to see if he could the creature once more.

* * *

“Watch it! Shit! Almost knocked my head off, Ryman!” Barry Burton hollered.

Chris couldn’t help but chuckle at how overdramatic Barry could be sometimes. The net with the fish was too far away from his head to hit him, and Kevin was pretty good with the crane. Nonetheless, the two men bickered at each other, insulting the other’s intelligence and skill. Whoever decided to round up these guys and stick them on a crew together had been asking for trouble, but Chris wouldn’t trade any of them. These men were the best teammates he could ask for.

He had been in the fishing business for years, thanks to his dad. He would often go with his father as an apprentice when he didn’t have school. He often spent hours in the fishing yard and the fish market, helping his old man sell the fish and ship them off. He had grown up and went into the coast guard for a while, that was where he met and fell in love with Jill.

They both resigned and settled down, Chris getting into the fishing business once more. Sadly, he lost his mother and father in a car accident, him and his sister Claire had found out through Barry Burton, who had been friends with the Redfields for as long he could remember.

“Why don’t you get off of yer ass and handle this crane yourself then, Mr. Professional?” Kevin hollered.

“Easy now Kev, or Barry will be using you as bait.” Chris teased.

“You kidding? We won’t catch shit if we use him!” Jake Muller said, “He’ll scare the fish away.”

Kevin flipped the younger off before Barry shoved him out of the seat. Chris shook his head and laughed, looking out at the calming waves. He was hoping Ollie was having a good day today. The little boy had been through so much in just his six years of life and he was such a good kid. He didn’t deserve to have a bad day. And Chris tried his damnedest to make sure everyday was a good day for his little boy. Jill would be proud and he knew his wife was watching over them.

In the midst of his thoughts, he saw an odd creature out in the ocean. It had only been for a moment, but he swore he saw a human with a fish body snag a fish that had leapt out of the ocean. Chris shook his head. He had been out here way too long, and now he was seeing things.

* * *

“So, I’m definitely going to throw the most epic Sweet 16 Party this year. Should I invite Jaime?” Moira Burton asked, talking on her cellphone, “No, I’m at my Uncle Chris’ house at the moment. Have to watch the kiddos. It’s the house by the lighthouse. No, it’s not haunted, there’s just not a lot of people, Sally, god.”

The teenage girl was in charge of watching her sisters and Ollie, but was currently distracted by her friend on the phone, sitting in a folding chair and reading a magazine. Natalia sat next to her, reading her own book. Ollie wore his swimmies and swim shorts and rash guard as he picked up another bucket of water for his sand castle. Flash idly followed behind, making sure the red-head didn’t wander too far. Polly was inside the house, not a fan of being outside.

Ollie looked up at the lighthouse, deciding that he was going to build that next. He began pushing the sand around, building a small mound before going back over to the sea. Moira heard Polly calling her from the house, causing her to abandon her post for a moment. She told Natalia to keep an eye on Ollie and Flash. The eight year-old nodded, glancing up at Ollie before going back to her book.

Dipping his bucket into the water, Ollie filled it up, but had been momentarily distracted by a crab nearby. The bucket slipped from his fingers, the waves sweeping it out to sea.

“Oh no!” Ollie said, chasing after it, getting deeper into the water. Flash barked, too scared of the water to pursue his young owner.

The water got deeper, causing him to swim. Natalia looked up and screamed, calling Ollie’s name. The red-head felt the water pull him under. Natalia screamed for Moira as the little boy disappeared. She lost sight of him, Moira joining her as they bolted across the sand and trudged into the water.

The water surrounded him and Ollie nearly lost consciousness. His little arms paddled as hard and fast as he could. He was scared and wanted his Daddy. He nearly lost hope and fainted, until he was swept up into strong arms. After being tucked against someone’s chest, the person breached the surface, the red-head gasping for breath. Blue green eyes looked up at the clear blue sky, head no longer pushed under the murky ocean water.

He was…okay? Someone saved him? He looked up at his savior. It was a man, with blonde hair and strange blue eyes. They seemingly glowed. The man was shirtless and didn’t say anything as he swam back toward land with the little boy. Ollie noticed that he was being taken back to the beach, Natalia and Moira already inside, calling for help. 

“Are you alright?” The man asked.

Unable to utter a word due to his shock, he nodded.

The man smiled and nodded back. The little boy looked down at the arm holding him and gasped. The man had blue scales on his arms and the backs of his hands, shimmering purple and green underneath the watery surface as the sun hit them. Once the water was shallow enough, the blonde released the little red-head, gently pushing him toward the shore. Ollie was able to walk out of the water, turning back just in time to see a shimmery blue tail disappear underneath the waves. His bucket washed up on shore, causing him to grab it before it could be swept away. Flash barked happily, kissing Ollie’s hands, but the little boy was still in shock over what just happened.

Was that…a mermaid?

He couldn’t wait to tell Daddy.

* * *

Leon watched from behind the rocks at the base of the lighthouse as the older girl came outside and embraced the little boy tightly. A smile on his face as they checked him over and hugged him, telling him that they were glad he was okay. He waited until everyone seemed to be okay before swimming away. In most situations, he would have kept swimming, but Leon couldn’t let the little boy drown.

Though, he would have been yelled at for interacting with a human, it wouldn’t have been right to NOT intervene, and not all humans seem to be bad. Especially not a child. He was just playing in the water and enjoying the day. He wasn’t hurting anyone. And he certainly did not do anything wrong to Leon. The blonde merman recognized the child as the one in the school yard earlier, reading his book by himself.

Saving the child made Leon feel good, wondering if he would see him again. Probably, considering Leon did not plan on going back home anytime soon. While he was swimming along the coast, he failed to notice the net sweeping up the fish nearby. Before he realized it, he had been swept up as well, trapped in the net with the squirming bodies of fish all around him. A startled sound left him, trying to wiggle his way out, but to no avail.

* * *

“Whoa! This load feels heavy!” Barry exclaimed, feeling the weight of the net via the crane, “Looks like it’s going to be a decent pay load.”

Chris helped keep the net steady as it was slowly lowered to the boat’s deck. Jake held the other side. This catch looked way bigger than the others. Clearly they had caught something big, perhaps a shark had gotten caught amongst the trout and tuna. Chris grunted as the net came undone and fell on to the deck, dropping the fish with a heavy thud. Barry told them to start sorting and “bagging” the fish. Reminding them for the hundredth time that day to throw back any babies and others that weren’t considered “Good”.

Chris chuckled, “We know. We’re not newbies. Well, not all of us.” He said with a laugh, nodding toward Jake, who scoffed at the elder.

He began sorting his side of the pile, grabbing the largest fin in the stack. He dragged it out and nearly stumbled backward in shock. The fin was attached to a long body, and the upper half looked like a human,, blue, purple, and green iridescent scales running along the spine. The creature turned, revealing a very human looking blonde male with exotic blue eyes. It growled at him, hissing angrily and baring its equally human looking teeth at him. Chris’ eyes widened in shock, frozen on the spot.

“What the fuck?!” Chris exclaimed.

 


	2. Escape

“Jesus, shit! What is that thing?!” Kevin hollered, watching the half-man, half-fish as it lashed out with sharp talons and its tail.

Chris jumped out of the way to avoid being hit with the creature’s tail. The merman released an inhuman screech at them, tailing flailing about and thrashing around wildly. Jake grabbed another net, this one had heavy weights on it. With Barry, Kevin, and Chris’ help, they managed to trap the giant fish creature underneath the net.

Leon cried out again as a particularly heavy weight landed on his tail. His claws transformed back into normal fingers and nails, gripping the net and crying out for help. He looked up in fear at the fishermen when he realized he was trapped.

"Seriously, what the fuck is that?" Jake asked in fear, looking to Barry in particular.

Barry looked at the fish, Leon whimpering and cowering away in fear as the man got closer to him. He looked back at his tail, being reminded of the heavy thing currently pinning him to the deck, looking up to Chris, who was the closest to that end, for help with pleading blue eyes. The fisherman really wished the creature hadn’t looked at him because he instantly felt guilty. The beautiful creature looked so sad and helpless.

“Guys…I think we should let it go.” Chris suggested.

Kevin gave him a look of disbelief, “Are you out of your fucking mind, Redfield?!” he hollered, “The fucker nearly took your head off with that big ass tail of his. Hell no! We’re keeping the net on him!”

The merman whimpered again, looking at all of them before looking back at Chris once more. Chris suggested again that they let him go. That the creature was afraid. That they should just toss him back to where he came from, like they would have done if they had accidentally caught a baby shark. Kevin argued that “this thing” wasn’t a baby shark. It was some mythical creature from who the fuck knew where. It could pose a threat and they had to get rid of it permanently. Chris’ response was to threaten Kevin, telling him that he was going to throw him off the ship.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I gotta side with Kevin on this one, Redfield. We don't know what this thing is, but we can't let it back into the ocean. If it’s what I think it is, I heard stories about these things growing up. They're dangerous." Barry said.

Chris groaned in frustration at the men's stubbornness. "Those are just old wives tales, Barry! Look at him..." Chris pointed to Leon, "Does he look dangerous to you?"

"He did when he had those claws and nearly knocked you off the boat with that big ass tail." Jake said.

"Wouldn't you have done the same if someone scooped you? He was just trying to defend himself." Chris sighed in annoyance. "Just let him go and leave him be."

"Hey, guys!" DC said, coming from underneath to tell them that lunch was ready, "I hope y'all are hungry cause I made my grand-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" He asked.

"It's a mermaid! I'm trying to get these morons to release him but they're afraid to let him go." Chris explained, his head was beginning to hurt. "He's harmless. He was just scared."

DC looked just as freaked out as they did, "I think we should take it to the Marine Life place. Or the museum. My old lady used to tell me stories about these things. Apparently they acted helpless but would drown men. Other stories said they used to swim along the coast, singing lullabies before snatching up kids.”

"And who among us has kids that like to play at the beach?" Kevin asked with a cocked brow, looking particularly at Chris and Barry and then to DC.

Chris rolled his eyes at his friend's nonsense. "Guys seriously when was the last time you heard of a kid getting snatched up by a mermaid? As many times as Ollie has played here, he's never once had an incident."

As if on cue, he had received a phone call from Claire. She explained that everything was okay, but Moira had called in a panic. Apparently, Ollie went too far out into the ocean and had been dragged under. He somehow made it back to shore, but she was taking him to the local hospital to get checked out.

Jake suggested taking it to the Marine Life Institute. Just to be on the safe side. Dr. Chambers or Dr. Spencer could keep it under observation.

"Fine, take him there just don't hurt him. I gotta go-- something happened to Ollie." Chris said as he rushed off of the boat in a panic.

Barry nodded as he and Kevin grabbed a tarp. Leon made more distressed noises as they lifted the net off of his tail but was dragged backward. He thrashed around, causing Kevin to dive down and grab the creature by the tail. Jake and DC grabbed Leon's arms, tying them in front of him. He was lifted and laid on the tarp, Barry carefully rolling him up in it.

They docked the boat and carried him across the docks. They loaded the struggling Merman into the back of Barry's truck. Jake and Kevin tied the merman down and sat in the back. DC and Barry stayed in the front.

Leon was panicking, moving around to try and free himself. He felt his skin drying out as scales receded. His fin and tail shrunk, turning into smooth legs and feet.

By the time they got to the institute, the mermaid was completely human. The fishermen unloaded the tarp, noting that it seemed extremely lighter than when they loaded it into the truck.

Becca was outside waiting for them, just wondering what the hell had been so important that she had to drop everything and prepare a tank. At the sight of the tarp, she nearly stumbled backward. It was substantially large, so it could have been a shark. But Barry's panicked tone kept telling her it was "Unreal".

"What the hell is that?!" Rebecca asked in shock.

* * *

Chris frantically ran into the ER calling out for Ollie. Once he had found the little red-head, he rushed over to him; wrapping the little boy in his arms.

"Ollie? What happened?!" Chris asked in concern.

"I'm okay, Daddy! A mermaid saved me!" Ollie said in excitement.

Noticing the look on her brother's face, Claire explained that Moira looked away for one second and Ollie accidentally got swept into the ocean by a current. The girls called for help and then tried to swim after but were shocked when Ollie somehow made it back to shore.

"Maybe there was someone close by that saw everything?" Claire suggested.

Moira sighed as the little boy went on and on about the merman, "Ollie, buddy. There are no such things as mermaids."

"But there is! I saw him!" Ollie insisted.

Chris sits down with Ollie in his lap, giving Claire and Moira a look. Claire cocks a brow as Chris begins to ask Ollie what the mermaid looked like. Ollie excitedly began describing the mermaid, saying it was a blonde guy with a blue tail and blue scales. Brown eyes widened in shock. That sounded a lot like the mermaid they accidentally caught in the net.

Chris looked up at Claire and then at Ollie. "I knew he was harmless."

Claire just gives her brother an incredulous look as he gets up and leaves with Ollie. They drove to the Marine Life Institute. The guys were outside, and by the looks of it, Rebecca was pissed and they were all looking for something. The tarp on the ground, empty and the ropes had been cut and laid forgotten.

"What happened?!" Chris asked, momentarily getting out of the truck. 

"What happened?! These idiots brought me a human claiming it was some "mystical creature"! That's what happened!" Rebecca said with a pout.

"Yeah! And then she cut the ropes and then he bolted! I almost had him until she punched me and helped him escape! Now we possibly have a dangerous creature disguised as a god damn human!" Kevin argued, holding his now bloody nose.

Rebecca accused them all of drinking too much while the hot humid air must have leaked into their brains and fried them. Mermaids didn't exist, nor was there any actual record of them ever existing. Kevin called her an asshole as they got into a heated argument. Barry, Jake, and DC told Chris that no one actually saw him run. They kind of left the tarp out here and went inside to speak with the owner and staff while Rebecca stayed outside with Kevin and the fish. 

"He couldn't have gone far. And to be fair, Kevin you are a bit drunk." Barry explained. 

* * *

Fingers ran over the strange and foreign material before ripping it, and something to cover his lower extremities, off of the weird clothing holder. The humans wore these to better cover themselves, so maybe he should too. But why did they store them outside? Was it a common occurence for them to hang them like decorations? He didn't feel like being touched by another human while "naked" again. And hearing one scream at the sight of his naked body wasn't an experience he planned to relive. 

Leon stumbled through the quaint little town, wearing a t-shirt that was three times too big on him and a pair of shorts. He kept losing his balance, not used to these strange limbs he now had. He went toward the direction of the lighthouse, knowing that was open and yet isolated. He could hide out there and maybe make his way home.

A hiss escaped him as he stepped on something in the road, a sharp pain going into his foot and up his leg. He seemed to have stepped on some particularly sharp rocks that cut up his feet. He kept moving, ignoring the pain until he was in front of the small house and the lighthouse behind it. He wheezed, feeling particularly dried out. The hot sun didn't help him very much either. Everything felt too hot and too dry. He fainted in front of the house.

* * *

Chris and Ollie drove back to the lighthouse. Apparently, the fish had escaped, and no one knew how or where to. All they knew was that he had seemingly vanished out of thin-air. There wasn't much they could do at the moment and Chris just wanted to go home and take care of Ollie. 

The fisherman suddenly slammed on the breaks, throwing an arm across to prevent Ollie from flying forward, even though he was seatbelted in. His eyes wide in shock.

There was a man passed out on their property, face down in the sand.

"Daddy! There's a man in front of our house." Ollie said, "Why isn't he moving?"

Chris cursed, telling Ollie to stay in the car while he investigated. The raven-haired male carefully got out of the car before slowly making his way to the unconscious body. Kneeling down, the older man carefully turned the unconscious being over on to his back. Brown eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

It was the merman from earlier, or at least, looked like him. Chris felt for a pulse around his neck, relieved when he found one. His skin felt hot to the touch as he breathed lightly. Chris looked over his form, noticing that he was wearing clothes that were clearly not his. There were cuts on his feet, arms, along with a small cut on his cheek.

"Is he okay, Daddy?" Ollie asked.

Chris jumped, but calmed, "Buddy, I told you to stay in the car." He said.

Ollie apologized but then gasped, "It's him! The merman!" He said, "He needs to be in water!"

Chris nodded, about to say something else, until he was cut-off by the sound of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning. Raindrops began falling from the sky, tapping against their skin. Chris and Ollie watched in astonishment as legs transformed back into scales, a tail and a fin. Scales appeared all along his forearms and the backs of his hands. The merman's face twitched, but he didn't wake up.

"Ollie, unlock the door." Chris said, carefully lifting the very heavy mermaid up into his arms. The majority of the weight stemming from the tail.

Getting a better grip on the creature, Chris made it into the house, Ollie closing the door behind them. Flash greeted them before barking at the fish. Chris carried the creature to the bathroom, setting him into the bathtub before filling the tub.

The sound and feeling of cold water surrounding him was enough to rouse him from his unconscious state. Blue eyes fluttered open, focusing on the person above him. He hissed as soon as he saw Chris' face.

The tail flailed wildly as Leon tried to get away from the human. Realizing he was in a tub with nowhere to go, Leon chose to instead splash the elder.

"HEY!" Chris hollered, as he was splashed, water getting all over the floor and soaking him as well. Ollie giggled, Flash running away from the water.

At the sound of the child's giggles, the fish calmed down a bit, recognizing Ollie immediately. He looked from the tiny human to the taller one, putting two-and-two together. He still bared his teeth at Chris but didn't thrash around, hiding behind one of the walls of the tub as he glared up at Chris.

Ollie approached the tub, holding on to the side as he looked at the blonde, causing Leon to back up so the little kid wasn't directly in his face. Ollie looked at the scaly hands, hesitantly touching one, a soft "Whoa..." leaving the younger as he looked at the scales and tail. 

Chris moved slightly to attempt to pull Ollie away, afraid that the merman would hurt his little boy, but it seemed like the creature was just as curious as the little boy. Glowing blue eyes watched as little fingers traced over his scaled hand.

"Pretty!" Ollie exclaimed, watching the scales shimmer in the light of the bathroom. He carefully poked another scale, watching it shift from purple, to green, back to blue, "Cool!"

Leon chuckled, gently poking the little boy's arm, "Cool." He repeated, as if testing the strange word on his tongue.

Chris raised brows in surprise. It could talk?

Ollie looked just as surprised as Chris, looking back to look at the elder before looking back at Leon, who stared back curiously.

"Hi! I'm Ollie!" The little boy said with a wave.

The merman tilted his head and mimicked the wave, "Hi, Ollie." He said.

Chris leaned against the wall, watching in amusement as the merman mimicked Ollie. The little boy introduced Chris next, "That's my Daddy." He said, pointing to Chris.

The creature pointed at Chris too, "Daddy." He said, before looking to Ollie to see if he was right. Ollie nodded in excitement.

Chris blushed and coughed, "Chris." He corrected, pointing at himself, "To you," he said pointing at the mermaid and then himself, "I'm Chris."

"I'm Chris." Leon repeated, pointing at Chris. He wasn't very good at whatever language they were speaking. He kind of knew phrases like "Are you alright?" Which he had asked "Ollie" when he rescued him.

"Chris." Chris repeated. 

"Chris!" Leon repeated, pointing at the man. Chris nodded and chuckled at the man's excitement.

"What is your name?" Ollie asked slowly, pointing at Leon.

Leon tilted his head, pointing at himself, "Leonardo Scotia Kennado."

Ollie sat there, trying to pronounce the long and complicated name, but he couldn't get the words out. The best he could get was "Leon" before he began to jumble up the rest of the name.

"I'm just gonna call you Leon." Ollie said.

"Leon." Leon repeated with a nod.

The merman then looked to Chris and repeated his name. As if telling the fisherman that that was his name now. It took Chris a moment to realize that his son just named the merman and the merman was perfectly fine with it. He looked up at the ceiling in disbelief.

Great his son just named it. That meant that they could not just get rid of it. What the hell was he going to do with a mermaid?


	3. Tuna Fish

After draining the tub and laying down some towels on the floor next to it, Chris carefully lifted the squirming merman out of the tub and on to the towels. The excited creature looked around at the bathroom, dragging himself across the floor, the towels making it easier to drag his tail behind him and along the tiled floor. Leon tilted his head in curiosity at the bar of soap sitting in a dish next to the tub. He sniffed it. Deciding that it smelled delicious, Leon decided to bite into it.

Needless to say, it didn’t taste as delicious as it smelled.

Ollie laughed as Leon spit out bits of the soap, Chris huffing and telling the unruly merman to spit the pieces into the trash can. The merman tossed the entire bar across the room, hissing at it in disgust. Chris rubbed the bridge of his nose, thanking himself for stocking up on that soap ahead of time. Watching the mermaid go for the shampoo, the raven-haired male swatted away curious hands, telling the fish that he definitely did not want that. He dragged the massive tail until Leon was on the opposite side of the bathroom, away from the tub.

“No!” Leon whined, mimicking Chris’ earlier actions of swatting at the elder’s hands as the human dragged him away from the tub and all the curious looking bottles he wished to examine.

“Sorry, Tuna Fish, but you’re not eating mine or Ollie’s soaps and shampoos.” Chris said, covering the merman with a robe as the blonde began to dry out, “If you want, I can make you food, but only after Ollie gets his bath.”

“Not tuna!” Leon protested, pointing at himself with a thumb, “Merman!”

“I know, it’s just a, ugh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand.” Chris groaned, draining the tub and cleaning it out.

The merman writhed around under the robe, fins drying out and turning into legs. He wrapped the robe around himself and stood up on shaky feet as he braced himself against the wall. The blonde turned to watch the small family as Chris helped undress Ollie and ran the water into the bathtub for the six year-old. He watched as the elder human lifted the little one up before placing him gently in the tub. Leon smiled as Ollie splashed at his dad, Chris dramatically making pained or surprised noises.

The little red-head stopped at the sound of thunder, lightning flashing just outside followed by another roar of thunder. The merman looked around as well, fear evident in his own eyes. The dog barked loudly, running to the living room to go cower under the coffee table. Ollie finished up his bath and was dried and dressed as he went out to follow Flash. Chris went to his own room, having Leon follow him.

The creature canted his head as Chris rummaged through his closet. He pulled out a t-shirt with a strange symbol on the sleeve, boxers, sweatpants and a sweatshirt, handing them to Leon. The merman looked at them before tossing them on to the bed. He untied the robe and let it drop, exposing himself in front of Chris.

The fisherman looked away, blushing a bright red as he did so. He could hear a confused sound leave the creature, feeling a cool hand against his cheek. Chris jumped, seeing wide blue eyes looking up at him curiously, the merman still stark naked. Blonde hair was slowly fading to a light brown, Leon touching his face curiously as Chris flushed an even deeper shade of red. Why was the man touching his face?

“You…are burned?” Leon asked, almost unsure of his choice of words, “Face…is hot…red…”

Chris shook his head, gently grasping the thin wrist and pulling the curious creature’s hand from his face, “No. I’m okay. Just…embarrassed cause you’re, uh, indecent.” He said, picking up the t-shirt and boxers, offering them to Leon, “Uh, here. Get dressed.”

“Dressed.” Leon repeated, grabbing the soft shirt before slipping it over his head. He then stepped into the offered boxers and then the sweatshirt, unsure of this article of clothing. He already had a shirt, why did he need this one? He made a displeased sound when Chris held the pants, waiting for Leon to step into them. Why did humans wear so many layers of clothes?

“There. All finished.” Chris said with a hum, “Alright, time for dinner.”

Leon canted his head, but followed Chris to the kitchen. The merman flinched at the sound of thunder, tucking himself up against the elder’s back. Chris nearly stumbled forward, looking back at the sea creature wondering what the hell he was doing.

“What are you doing?” Chris asked, but froze when he felt the brunette trembling against his back, “Are you…scared of thunder?”

What kind of question was that? Of course he was! He had never been near the surface during whatever was going on outside! It was loud and scary sounding! Like the sounds of war. Leon nodded, staying plastered to the human’s back. Ollie called to Chris, making the human move faster to the kitchen and living room. Leon following close behind, holding on to the back of Chris’ shirt in fear.

Leon sat on the couch next to Ollie, seemingly having a hard time not sinking into the plush furniture. He adjusted himself, making the red-head chuckle as Leon tried to find a comfortable position. The merman protested out a loud “No!” when Flash jumped up on to the couch next to him, trying to sit in his lap, knocking him out of his comfortable position. He pushed at the bulldog, but the heavy canine did not budge, laying in his lap with a grumbling sound.

The merman pouted, crossing his arms at his chest. He glared down at the dog, but did not make an attempt to move him when Ollie informed him that Flash was afraid of thunderstorms. The brunette simply sighed in defeat, allowing the smelly land creature to lay on him.

“Who wants hot cocoa?” Chris called from the kitchen, getting dinner started. He decided to cook up that chicken he picked up from the market with some mashed potatoes and corn.

Ollie waved his arms excitedly, “Yes, please!”

Leon watched the small human, waving an arm like he had, “Please!” he asked.

Chris raised a brow, but made the merman a cup anyway. It was very likely Leon would not drink it, but he didn’t want him to fuss if he did not get a cup of his own. After setting the timer on the chicken, he got the boiling water ready for the mashed potato mix before making the cocoa. He brought the mugs over to the duo, shooing Flash away so he wouldn’t drink one of the cups and get sick.

Leon eyed his mug curiously, watching the steam rise from the cup. He held his hand over it, the liquid feeling warm on his skin. He canted his head once more, watching as Ollie blew on his cup and sipped it. Leon blew on his and mimicked the action, eyes going wide as a pained noise left him, dropping the mug on the table, some of it spilling out as he hissed at it.

“What was that?” Chris asked, hearing something hit the coffee table hard, “…Did the merman not like the hot cocoa?”

“I think it’s too hot for him.” Ollie informed his father, watching Leon hiss at the mug.

The raven-haired male chuckled and rolled his eyes, grabbing the milk out of the fridge and some paper towels. He went out to where they were sitting, Leon watching him as he cleaned the little mess and poured some of the milk into mug. Chris offered it to Leon, but the brunette hissed at the mug. With a shrug, Chris took the mug away dumping the rest of the hot cocoa into the sink.

“Here, Leon!” Ollie said, picking up the remote for the television, “Have you ever seen a TV before?”

“…TV?” Leon asked, watching the little boy pick up the strange device and pointing at a black slab or tablet, the merman wasn’t sure what it was that sat on their other table.

The slab flickered to life, playing a brightly colored moving picture of a yellow square and pink starfish. Blue eyes lit up in wonder, moving to sit in front of the “magic moving picture window”. Nimble fingers touched the television screen, pulling back when it rocked slightly. The yellow square laughed, making Leon jump at the loud sound. Curiosity got the better of him, tapping a finger against the screen, trying to get the odd little creatures’ attentions.

“…Hello?” Leon asked, tapping at the screen, “Hello!”

Hearing the strange noise, Chris turned around and looked back into the living room. He chuckled in amusement as Leon tried to communicate with the cartoon characters on the screen. The fishermen guessed that they didn’t have Spongebob Squarepants back where Leon came from…or televisions. He smiled and shook his head as the one character ran off-screen, the brunette peeking around the television to see where they had went.

“Goofy fish.” Chris whispered to himself, going back to dinner.

By the time dinner was done, Leon was practically glued to the television, trying his damnedest to either get inside of it to talk to the cartoon characters on the screen or trying to figure out how to get them out. Chris had Ollie help him set the table. The six year-old gave Leon the remote, briefly showing him how to use the remote. Now, the brunette just continuously pressed the channel button, seemingly channel surfing, but in reality, was probably fascinated with whatever was on each station.

He seemed to find something to watch, a channel with a shark documentary. Discovery Channel’s Shark Week most likely. He served up Ollie’s plate first, patting the little red-head’s hair before going to check on their fish friend.

“Leon.” Chris simply said, drawing the brunette’s attention to him and away from the screen, “Hungry?”

The merman tilted his head at him, his stomach growled out his answer. Leon nodded, pointing at the screen, “Fish.”

Chris raised a brow, trying to remember if he bought fish this week. He usually brought extra from work, but he did not recall if he brought any with him. Still, he checked the fridge and then the freezer. Sure enough, he had a package of tuna fillets. They didn’t look like they had been frozen long, Barry must have dropped them off when he dropped the girls off. With a nod, he shut the freezer. They should be sufficient enough for his little fish friend.

“Hey, Angel Fish,” Chris called, but then blinked when he saw Leon sitting at the table next to Ollie.

Ollie gave him a small bit of chicken and mashed potatoes, a couple of kernels of corn sat on the plate, but Leon did not look interested in any of it. Chris showed Leon the packaged fish, making the merman perk up in interest.

“I got some tuna fillets. That good for you?”

The brunette crept over and investigated, sniffing at the air and then the package. Chris carefully removed the plastic, taking out one of the fillets and was about to turn to cook it. The merman carefully took it from his hands, his normal looking teeth and nails turning razor sharp as he ripped into the tuna fillets. He shred them to bits with a savagery Chris had never seen. It was like a wild animal…which to him, Leon technically was.

The merman licked his claws and then his lips as he finished the whole pack of fillets. The elder watched as Leon’s teeth went back to normal, claws dulling down to normal looking nails once more. He gave a small burp before retreating back to the couch, leaving a destroyed Styrofoam tray behind. Chris and Ollie looking at it and then Leon, still in shock.

“…That was so cool!” Ollie cheered.

* * *

It was time for bed and the thunderstorm was still raging mad outside. Ollie slept in Chris’ bed, staying up late with Chris and the merman. Chris was preparing the couch for the brunette, still wondering why Leon’s hair was brown or if that was a trick of the light. Chris felt like it was a mix of both, but the younger’s hair was definitely darker. 

“Alright. So, you,” He pointed at Leon, “stay and sleep out here. Got it?” 

Leon looked up at the man and then down at the couch, and then back. He blinked at the fisherman. Chris sighed, mumbling under his breath as he handed Leon a water bottle, incase he got thirsty in the middle of the night. The bottle was passed between his hands, the brunette trying to figure out what the plastic bottle was. He nipped at the cap, looking at it before handing it to Chris. The raven-haired male opened it and handed it back to the creature.

Leon gave it another look before dumping it on his head. Scales reappeared and brown locks turned dirty blonde, Chris jumping out of the way as the blue tail narrowly missed hitting him. The merman smiled up at him, giving a look that seemed to ask for approval.  The fisherman was surprised that the sweatshirt had not disappeared, unlike the boxers and sweatpants. 

“That’s not…never mind. Forget it. Just…hold on.” Chris pleaded, going back to the bathroom to grab a towel for the goofy fish. 

* * *

 The next morning, the sound of an alarm clock woke him up. Chris groaned, turning to slap a hand down on the damned device. A yawn left him as he stretched, careful not to wake Ollie from his slumber. He mentally thanked the heavens that it was Saturday and that he was off today. He planned on taking Ollie over to the Aquatic Life Sanctuary to visit Claire and thank her for yesterday. Though, he planned on sleeping in a bit, catching up on some much needed sleep.

Flash barked outside, probably chasing some…wait, why was Flash outside? Chris shot up, still hearing the little bulldogs barks. By the sounds of them, they were definitely coming from outside. He threw the covers off of himself with a quickness as he went downstairs, alarm bells going off when he saw the front door was wide open.

“What the…?” he asked in confusion, but was hit with a recollection of memories, brown eyes turning to look at the now empty couch. Where…where did Leon go?

Chris made his way outside, walking out on to the damp sand and shielding his eyes from the morning sun. He called out for Leon when he noticed Flash was near the ocean’s edge, barking at something out at sea. Chris followed the canine’s line of sight, catching a glimpse of a shimmering blue tale splashing in the water. Though…it looked like something was out there with the merman, a much larger fin breached the surface of the waves before descending back into the water depths.

“Leon!” Chris called out.

The merman didn’t answer or pop up out of the water. Chris cursed about to take off his shirt and dive into the ocean after the creature when the calm ocean suddenly became frenzied. There was a spot where there was a lot of splashing, catching a glimpse of Leon’s tail and several other tails. Something, or some things, were fighting with Leon, or vice versa.

“Daddy?” Ollie called from the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “What’s going on? Where’s Leon and Flash?”

Chris looked back toward the ocean, watching it become calm and quiet once more. Flash continued to bark, whining when Leon didn’t emerge from the water at first. The fisherman watched with baited breath, Ollie now at his side, gently tugging at the hem of his shirt and asking what was wrong. Brown eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.

A couple of decent sized tuna washed up on the shore, each having long, bloodied claw marks or savage looking bite marks. Flash sniffed at one, but barked when the fish flapped around. Chris covered Ollie’s eyes, not wanting his little boy to see such a gory sight.

Not too far behind the fish was Leon. The merman dragged himself across the sand like a seal, looking up at Chris with big blue eyes.

“Hungry?” Leon asked, dragging the fish in with him so the waves didn’t take them away. He then held a big one up in offering.

The human gulped, obviously at a loss for words as he stared at the merman. Leon attacked all these fish and caught them…for Chris and Ollie? The elder took a deep breath, telling Ollie to take Flash and go back in the house. Chris carried the fish to the freezer, Leon plopping one on the kitchen island, once he dried off, for Chris to prepare for breakfast.

* * *

The younger of the Redfield siblings raised a brow at the brunette her brother had brought with him and Ollie. This “Leon” was definitely attractive, but odd. He was at the tank with Nelly, their rescue dolphin, who had be depressed lately. The brunette made odd chirping noises at the porpoise. What was even more odd was that Nelly was actually responding to the noises, making clicking noises of her own. He certainly would have drawn a crowd had she not been the only one working today. The rest of the crew were off today, but she had to catch up on paperwork.

“Chris…who the hell is this guy?” Claire asked.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Chris replied, “Do you remember those stories Dad used to tell us? About Sirens and Mermaids?”

Claire scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Seriously? Chris, mermaids aren’t real-HEY!” she called, catching Leon climbing up the ladder to the top of the tank, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Aunt Claire? What’s wrong with Nelly?” Ollie asked, “Leon says she’s sad.”

The older red-head gave the little boy a sympathetic look, grabbing Leon by the back of the sweatpants and the too big red and white Reglan top, much to the brunette’s dismay, “She’s upset about something, but we’re not sure what it is.” She explained, “Will you get down from there?! You don’t have the authorization to be up there!”

“Lonely!” Leon exclaimed, pointing at the dolphin, “Miss pod!”

“What?!” Claire asked, “What do you speak dolphin? Seriously, Chris who is this guy?”

Chris sighed, “A mermaid...er, merman.” He said bluntly.

She gave him another incredulous look, Leon slipping from her fingers as he climbed up the ladder and on to the platform, “…Is this some kind of joke?”

The raven-haired male simply kept his mouth shut, Ollie trying to tell Claire that Leon was a merman. The very same one who saved him. Claire kept telling them both that they were being ridiculous. Chris watched Leon in the background, the merman jumping into the tank with the dolphin, transforming once more. Claire seemingly didn’t notice until Chris tapped her on the shoulder, pointing at the tank.

“Like I said, mermaids aren’t…” She turned, but was struck silent. Her eyes widened in shock at the creature comforting the dolphin in the tank, “…real…”

Leon nuzzled his head against Nelly’s, purring as Nelly whistled at him, mourning the loss of her family. He pet the sides of her head, feeling her sadness. She was alone, her pod long gone and taken from her. Some men in a ship taking them and her baby, but leaving her behind for reasons unknown. She had beached herself, having been tangled in some netting and had been injured.

“Lonely.” Leon said, “…Like me.”

The dolphin clicked at him, nuzzling him back as he hugged her.

Claire watched in awe, her brain still trying to process this, “What…how…why? When? WHAT THE HELL?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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